Nadeya Lavandero

Nadeya Lavandero is protégé and mentee of Dr. Kathie Mathis. Like Dr. Mathis, Nadeya is a survivor and has taken her lived experience and turned it into a source of personal empowerment for herself and others. As President / Founder / Executive Director of a California based nonprofit, “Right to Protect”, she provides supportive services and resources to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking; assisting those whom she serves with everything from escaping their situations to living a healthy and productive life thereafter.

Under the direct instruction of Dr. Mathis, through California Cognitive Behavioral Institute (CCBI), Nadeya has earned the professional designations of Certified Domestic Violence Advocate (CDVA), Certified Batterer Intervention Facilitator (CBIF), Certified Anger Management Specialist-II (CASM-II), Certified Human Trafficking Advocate (CHTA), Certified Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialist (CAPI), Certified Positive Parenting Instructor (CPI) High Conflict Resolution Counseling and Mediation, and Certified Court Advocate (CCA); and has recently returned to school to pursue her degree in forensic psychology.

As a survivor of sexual abuse and domestic violence, she has a clear understanding of the dynamics at play while escaping a domestic violence relationship with children. She has also endured spousal rape, stalking, and witness intimidation, which lends to her unique understanding of the challenges that many survivors of domestic violence experience in the aftermath. She uses these experiences, as well as the education and certifications she has obtained, to fight for her clients and their children as though she were fighting for herself and her own children.

Her strength, determination, and perseverance continue to drive her to empower victims to become survivors and help them learn to thrive after abuse by providing supportive services and resources for self-defense; safety planning; education on domestic violence and the associated psychological issues effecting victims; as well as counseling and connections to legal assistance.

Through Dr. Mathis, training and mentorship, Nadeya has recently become a court qualified expert in domestic violence, including child abuse, batterers, trauma, victimology, and abuse by proxy.